alterations to EQ-T

> Could someone send me some info on the *affect* equal temperament has on
> certain intervals (ie: it makes major thirds sharp, etc.) as well as any
> comments concerning the natural tuning tendencies of orchestras with no EQ-T
> pitch reference.

I suppose it's fair to say that that's an exceptionally BIIIIIG question
you've asked there. There have been many studies, formal and informal on both
questions, and there is certainly no dirth of conflicting opinions on the topic.


As for your first question, what effect equal temperament has on various
intervals, the usual approach to that question is to compare it with simple
whole-number-ratio (just) harmony. My experience, and that of many others, is
that pure just harmony (as used to produce the same traditional harmonies as are
available in 12-tone equal temperament) sounds absolutely squeeky clean. It has
sort of the auditory analogy to the feeling you have coming out of the dentists'
office after getting your teeth cleaned.

Ivor Darreg, who had a strong influence on a number of us on this list,
approached this question of how a given temperament distorts traditional
harmonies in terms of their cummulative effects. He called that cummulative
effect the tuning's "mood". So he stated that 12-equal has a restless mood,
17-equal has a bright and zippy mood, 19-equal has a forceful mood, 22-equal has
a calm placid mood, 31-equal has an even, level-headed, almost matter-of-fact
mood, and so forth.

I personally, and many others, whole-heartedly agree both with Darreg's
approach and results. Some just intonation fans, however, have viewed that as a
pointless endeavor partly on the grounds that just intonation has historically
been and is still the ideal, and that dynamic retuning via computer technology
has finally made possible what mankind has been kludging around by temperament.
They view moods - attributing interesting characteristics to these kludges - as
something of a pointless diversion.

As for your second question, of how string players (for example), choose
pitches in a large ensemble, there have been many extremely careful studies
performed on the topic. For the most part, best I can tell, they've pretty much
concluded that no particular mathematical formula accurately predicts how these
people choose the pitches they play. In the cases of large ensembles that
becomes an extremely complex problem with an enormous number of variables.


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